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Lama Temple and Nanluoguxiang Hutong

Get a taste of Tibetan Buddhism in Beijing at the Yonghegong Lama temple before strolling through Beijing's hutongs.

Rating: 4 out of 5 by EveryTrail members

Difficulty: Easy

Length: 1.8 miles

Duration: 1-3 hours

Family Friendly

Overview :
Get a taste of Tibetan Buddhism, without the possibility of altitude sickness! The Beijing Yonghegong Lama Temple and the nearby... more » hutongs of the Guluo (Drum Tower) district are easily reached by subway and explored on foot.

Lamaism is the sect of Buddhism followed in Tibet, Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, and parts of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and is named after 'lama', the Tibetan word for teacher. During the Mongolian-led Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Lamaism became the official religion of China. The Manchu people of north eastern China adopted Lamaism around this time and, later, during the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Tibetan Buddhism was also practiced in the Chinese imperial court.

Hutongs are a type of narrow residential street or alley, and are the traditional architecture of Beijing. Hutong neighborhoods are were formed by joining lines of "siheyuan" (traditional courtyard residences) together - one hutong would then be joined to another. To get better lighting, nearly all "siheyuan" had their main buildings and gates facing south; thus a majority of hutongs run from east to west. Nanluoguxiang, which runs from north to south, connects eight of these "siheyuan" hutongs.

Following the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, many of the old hutongs of Beijing disappeared to make way for modern streets and high rises. In the latter part of the twentieth century, following public outcry over the destruction of Beijing's architectural heritage, some of Beijing's remaining hutong areas were given protected status and encouraged to regenerate. Nanluoguxiang has been one of these areas since 1990. less «

Tips:
Don't be intimidated by the subway in Beijing. Everything is in English as well as Chinese, including announcements, and everything is... more » well sign posted. Try to avoid rush hour as trains (especially on lines 1 and 2) will be very crowded.

Using the subway ticket machines is pretty intuitive - the touch-screen button for English is in the bottom left corner of the screen. Select the line you need and touch the station you want. You'll then be prompted to confirm the number of tickets and the amount you need to pay. There are maps both on screen and on the walls to check which line you need.

Ticket machines in the subway don't accept 1RMB notes, just the coins. If you don't have change, or only big notes, go to a ticket window and hand over 2RMB - it's a flat fare for a single ticket (you can't buy returns) wherever you go. less «

Points of Interest

1. Get started - Yonghegong Lama Temple subway station

This tour starts at Yonghegong Lama temple subway station. You can get here on Line 2 or Line 5 and whichever line you come on, head for exit C. If you use Line 2, turn right and head up the stairs then follow the signs. When you come out the exit, turn left and left again at the corner and walk south along Yonghegong Street. If you used Line 5,... More you exit onto Yonghegong Street road, so just turn left.

Walk for about 200m, and the entrance to the Lama Temple is on the left - head through the archway and buy your entrance tickets on the far side of the courtyard. Entrance costs 25RMB for adults, children under 12 are half price at 12RMB and it's free if you're less than 1.2m tall. Enter through the ticket barriers to your left.Less

The Yonghegong Lama Temple was built in 1694 and actually started life as the home of Prince Yong of the Qin Dynasty. When he ascended the throne, it became known as the Palace of Peace and Harmony which is what "yonghegong" means in Mandarin. It wasn't until 1744 that the palace became a Lama Temple.

Lama temples are temples of... More Tibetan Buddhism, and the Yonghegong Lama Temple houses hundreds of statues of the Buddha in various guises, culminating in the Guinness-World-Record holding 18m statue which is carved out of one piece of white sandalwood.

Visitors should note that photography inside the Halls is disrespectful, but in the courtyards between buildings you're fine. Also, the cylindrical prayer wheels should always be spun anti-clockwise.Less

3. Lama Temple - Drum and Bell courtyard

This shady courtyard is a good place to pause to get your bearings. The Drum and Bell, which are found in all Buddhist temples, are on the left and right respectively, there's an altar in the center where you'll find devotees lighting incense and paying their respects to Buddha. Once you've had a quick look around, head straight on through the... More Yonghe Gate.Less

The next courtyard (flanked by two "Esoteric Halls" built in 1744 in which monks would study Buddhist scriptures) contains a offering jar into which you can try and throw a coin for luck. Once you've tried this, head on to the Yonghedian gate.

Also built in 1694, the Yonghedian gate has statues of Buddhas of the Three Ages. Sakyamuni (... MoreBuddha of the Present) sits in the center, the Buddha of the Future sits to the left and the Buddha of the Past sits to the right.Less

The next courtyard is small and quiet, pass straight through to Yongyoudian. This contains another three buddhas - Amitayus (the Longevity Buddha) in the center, Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) on the right and Simhanada (Buddha of Meaningful Wisdom) on the left.

7. Lama Temple - Faiundian

The next courtyard (with two trees) is a pretty and shady break before you get to Faiundian. This large and impressive hall contains a statue of Tsongkhapa who founded the yellow sect of Lamaism which is practiced in Tibet and Tibetan regions. The hall also has desks where visitors can sit when there's a service on.

8. Lama Temple - Wanfuge

Pass through the next courtyard to reach the Lama Temple's main attraction housed in Wanfuge. The final statue of Buddha in the temple holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest statue carved out of one piece of wood. The Buddha here, carved out of white sandalwood, stands 18m above ground, with a further 8m below ground to anchor it.

9. Lama Temple - Tibetan Buddhism Exhibition Hall

Back out in the courtyard, diagonally to the left if you've just come out of Wanfuge and have it behind you, is the Yonghegong Lama Temple exhibition room. This hall has a free exhibit about Tibetan Buddhism - you can see costumes, objects of devotion and traditional thangka paintings. It's definitely worth a look. Head back to the entrance... More through the side gates of the halls you passed on the way in to get back to the entrance.Less

When you come out of the Lama Temple, cross over the road diagonally to the right and head under the arch gateway and along Guo Zi Jian - The Imperial College Road. Along this road (about 300m along on the right) you'll find the Beijing Confucius Temple and the Imperial College itself. Entrance to both costs 30RMB for adults, and, like the Lama... More Temple, is half price for children under 12 and free if you're under 1.2m.

Walk all the way to the end of the road, passing hutong houses and cafes along the way, as well as some helpful boards with information about the history of the road.Less

11. Andingmen and Guluo

Cross the road when you come to the end of Guo Zi Jian, and turn left. Head south along Andingmen . It's about a ten minute walk to where Andingmen crosses Guluodongdajie (Guluo East street) and you'll see a more modern slice of everyday life in China. Turn right when you get the the crossroads with Guluodongdajie (Guluo East street) and head West... More - walk along the south side of the street as the entrance to Nanluoguxiang is on this side of the road.

You'll find plenty of quirky shops and restaurants (including more guitar shops than you can shake a stick at) along Guluodongdajie as well as some of Beijing's live music venues, such as the MAO Livehouse. The entrance to Nanluoguxiang is the first big lane you come to on the left, after about 500m walking. It can be quite easy to overshoot - watch out for the MAO Livehouse on the other side of the road and a bright orange juice bar on the corner called "Juicy Juicy"Less

Nanluoguxiang runs 786m north-south between Guluodongdajie (Guluo East Street) and Di’anmendongdajie (Di'anmen East Street) with smaller hutong lanes bisecting it east/west along its length. The lane's history dates back to 1267, and the layout is typical of Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) although the area has been regenerated somewhat since then!

... More
Nanluoguxiang is one of the capital’s oldest hutong areas. Since 1990, has been one of Beijing’s 25 cultural and historical protection areas. You can stick to the main lane, or branch off along the smaller hutong courtyards. It's a great place to find quirky shops, cafes and bars, particularly The Tibet Cafe at number 97.Less

13. The Tibet Cafe

Come full circle back to Tibetan culture with a stop off at the Tibet Cafe. Located about half way down Nanluoguxiang on the right hand side, the roof top bar is a great place to rest and people watch.

Drinks (including traditional Tibetan tea) are around 25RMB, and light Tibetan snacks and desserts start at around 30RMB.

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